SWO's Armenta hopes to make it two state titles

Southwest’s Joby Armenta prepares to throw East Wilkes’ Zack Prevette during their state 1-A championship bout earlier this year at 132 pounds, won by Armenta 7-0. Armenta heads into his senior season out to earn back-to-back state titles, although he’ll have to do it at one weight class higher and one classification – 2-A instead of 1-A because of statewide realignment.

John Sudbrink/The Daily News

By Rick Scoppe-The Daily News/Sports Editor

Published: Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 10:30 AM.

As he prepared to head out to the track for a few laps before hitting the mats in Southwest’s wrestling room, senior Jody Armenta was greeted with two words he worked long and hard to hear before his name: State Champion.

So how did it feel eight months later to have earned a championship that eluded him after making it to the state finals as a freshman and sophomore?

“It’s pretty good,” Armenta said with a smile. “I thought it would never happen. But it feels pretty good that I’m the first one in the school. It’s kind of like an honor.”

To say he earned the honor would be an understatement.

As a freshman, Armenta made it to the 103-pound state finals and lost. As a sophomore he again earned a spot in the title match, falling at 120 pounds. The third time around, however, Armenta left Greensboro as a champion, beating East Wilkes’ Zack Prevette 7-0 at 132 pounds.

Afterward as the referee raised his left arm, Armenta closed his eyes, both hands pointing to the ceiling with both his index fingers signaling he was No. 1.

While there was happiness and joy, his face also was etched with relief.

“It was pretty much the highlight of my career,” he said last week. “But it was mainly … kind of a sigh of relief.”

But now he’s back to defend his title. Actually, after taking “a good week or two off” after the championships in March, Armenta was back on the mat, preparing for his final season at Southwest. He trained every Monday and Thursday plus plenty of midweek and weekend trips to Wilmington to train, along with attending several wrestling camps.

“I pretty much try to keep it as year-round as I can,” he said.

Armenta, who was 47-2 last year and earned career win No. 100 in the state semifinals, would like nothing more than to be a two-time state champion. To do so, however, Armenta will have to do it at a heavier weight class — 138 pounds — and a higher classification now that Southwest has moved from 1-A to 2-A, which means an extra day at the state championships.

“I definitely want to be a two-time champion. It’s heartbreaking that it’s my last year, but hopefully I can if not be recruited at least walk-on to a college wrestling (team),” he said. “I don’t think it’ll be over any time soon. I want to wrestle in college. That’s my goal. But in a way it’s a little bittersweet because it is my last year and it seems heartbreaking that I can’t be here all the time.”

Armenta has been contacted by a number of schools, including NCAA Division III Ferrum (Va.) College — “They want me pretty bad,” he said — as well as Gardner-Webb and Duke, although the cost could be prohibitive.

For now, however, he’ll focus on his final season as a Stallion while looking back on a dream come true on the floor at Greensboro Coliseum. While his mother cried in the stands, Armenta hugged his coach, Charlie Dempsey, and his father, Joby Sr., after his win.

While composed and elated as he talked to a reporter, on the drive home his emotions overflowed.

“It sounds like a wuss,” he said, “but I dedicated (the season to his deceased) cousin and when I thought about that I started crying.”

Since winning the state championship, Armenta said he has watched the video of the finals shot by his parents. Most times he only watches the few matches that he loses to see what he did wrong so he can work to fix it.

“But I guess I watched it (the finals) to relive it,” he said. “It was a great moment.”

It’s a moment he’ll never forget — and a moment opponents will certainly use for extra motivation when they face Armenta this year.

“I probably am going to be a target,” he said. “They’re probably going to come after me like, ‘Well, I’m going to beat a state champ.’ It probably is going to put a pretty big target on my back, but at the same time it’s only going to make me better. I’ll get some good matches in. Win or lose, it’s all about mat time.”

While he’ll be a target to foes, Armenta knows as both a senior and a state champion he will be looked on to lead the Stallions, whether it’s helping them on the mat or rounding all his teammates up to hit the track for a run and making sure they’re not “goofing off.”

“It’s definitely my time to be a leader and step up because if I can do it, they can do it,” he said.

But can he do it again? Can he move up a weight class and up a division after statewide realignment and bring home a second state title?

“A two-time champion in two (different weight) divisions,” he said. “Going up a division, it’ll be a little bit harder, but I don’t think it’s that much of a difference. Everyone says, ‘1-A, 2-A, 3-A, oh, they’re 1-A, they’re small.’ But we wrestle 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A all year. We don’t wrestle 1-A until it comes conference time.

“I don’t think it’ll be too, too much different. Yeah, it’s going to be harder. I’m going up a weight class and we’re going up a division, so it’ll be a little bit more people, and instead of two days at states it’s three days at states. Little stuff like that, but overall I don’t think it’ll be too terribly different.”

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As he prepared to head out to the track for a few laps before hitting the mats in Southwest’s wrestling room, senior Jody Armenta was greeted with two words he worked long and hard to hear before his name: State Champion.

So how did it feel eight months later to have earned a championship that eluded him after making it to the state finals as a freshman and sophomore?

“It’s pretty good,” Armenta said with a smile. “I thought it would never happen. But it feels pretty good that I’m the first one in the school. It’s kind of like an honor.”

To say he earned the honor would be an understatement.

As a freshman, Armenta made it to the 103-pound state finals and lost. As a sophomore he again earned a spot in the title match, falling at 120 pounds. The third time around, however, Armenta left Greensboro as a champion, beating East Wilkes’ Zack Prevette 7-0 at 132 pounds.

Afterward as the referee raised his left arm, Armenta closed his eyes, both hands pointing to the ceiling with both his index fingers signaling he was No. 1.

While there was happiness and joy, his face also was etched with relief.

“It was pretty much the highlight of my career,” he said last week. “But it was mainly … kind of a sigh of relief.”

But now he’s back to defend his title. Actually, after taking “a good week or two off” after the championships in March, Armenta was back on the mat, preparing for his final season at Southwest. He trained every Monday and Thursday plus plenty of midweek and weekend trips to Wilmington to train, along with attending several wrestling camps.

“I pretty much try to keep it as year-round as I can,” he said.

Armenta, who was 47-2 last year and earned career win No. 100 in the state semifinals, would like nothing more than to be a two-time state champion. To do so, however, Armenta will have to do it at a heavier weight class — 138 pounds — and a higher classification now that Southwest has moved from 1-A to 2-A, which means an extra day at the state championships.

“I definitely want to be a two-time champion. It’s heartbreaking that it’s my last year, but hopefully I can if not be recruited at least walk-on to a college wrestling (team),” he said. “I don’t think it’ll be over any time soon. I want to wrestle in college. That’s my goal. But in a way it’s a little bittersweet because it is my last year and it seems heartbreaking that I can’t be here all the time.”

Armenta has been contacted by a number of schools, including NCAA Division III Ferrum (Va.) College — “They want me pretty bad,” he said — as well as Gardner-Webb and Duke, although the cost could be prohibitive.

For now, however, he’ll focus on his final season as a Stallion while looking back on a dream come true on the floor at Greensboro Coliseum. While his mother cried in the stands, Armenta hugged his coach, Charlie Dempsey, and his father, Joby Sr., after his win.

While composed and elated as he talked to a reporter, on the drive home his emotions overflowed.

“It sounds like a wuss,” he said, “but I dedicated (the season to his deceased) cousin and when I thought about that I started crying.”

Since winning the state championship, Armenta said he has watched the video of the finals shot by his parents. Most times he only watches the few matches that he loses to see what he did wrong so he can work to fix it.

“But I guess I watched it (the finals) to relive it,” he said. “It was a great moment.”

It’s a moment he’ll never forget — and a moment opponents will certainly use for extra motivation when they face Armenta this year.

“I probably am going to be a target,” he said. “They’re probably going to come after me like, ‘Well, I’m going to beat a state champ.’ It probably is going to put a pretty big target on my back, but at the same time it’s only going to make me better. I’ll get some good matches in. Win or lose, it’s all about mat time.”

While he’ll be a target to foes, Armenta knows as both a senior and a state champion he will be looked on to lead the Stallions, whether it’s helping them on the mat or rounding all his teammates up to hit the track for a run and making sure they’re not “goofing off.”

“It’s definitely my time to be a leader and step up because if I can do it, they can do it,” he said.

But can he do it again? Can he move up a weight class and up a division after statewide realignment and bring home a second state title?

“A two-time champion in two (different weight) divisions,” he said. “Going up a division, it’ll be a little bit harder, but I don’t think it’s that much of a difference. Everyone says, ‘1-A, 2-A, 3-A, oh, they’re 1-A, they’re small.’ But we wrestle 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A all year. We don’t wrestle 1-A until it comes conference time.

“I don’t think it’ll be too, too much different. Yeah, it’s going to be harder. I’m going up a weight class and we’re going up a division, so it’ll be a little bit more people, and instead of two days at states it’s three days at states. Little stuff like that, but overall I don’t think it’ll be too terribly different.”